Robbie Williams calls out crowd member during Sydney New Year’s Eve gig in awkward exchange: ‘Can you stop?’

Robbie Williams took a not-so-subtle potshot at an audience member during his New Year’s Eve performance in Sydney.

The British megastar, 50, headlined the city’s New Year’s Eve celebration on Tuesday, which aired on ABC.

Robbie’s stellar performance was further marred by an awkward exchange with an audience member.

After welcoming the crowd with his chart-topping Let Me Entertain You and Wilson Pickett’s Land of 1000 Dances, Robbie and his 13-piece backing band launched into his 2002 song Me and My Monkey.

Robbie seemingly invited the audience to sing along, but apparently wasn’t particularly impressed with a reveler’s rhythmic prowess.

The singer fell awkwardly silent before chastising the audience member for their lack of timing.

“You let me come in at the wrong place,” Robbie said.

‘Can you stop writing the lyrics to the song, then I don’t misunderstand.’

The camera then cut to a close-up of Robbie, who sported an expression that suggested he was more than a little miffed at the audience member.

“Now, okay?” Robbie gave strict instructions before continuing with the song.

Robbie’s eight-song set was packed with some of his biggest hits, such as Feel, Better Man and Rock DJ.

He also wowed the audience with a stirring rendition of John Farnham classic You’re The Voice, before closing out 2024 with his 2002 ballad Angels.

“Aussie, Aussie, Aussie,” Robbie sang during the song’s bridge, with the crowd responding with the obligatory, “Oi, Oi, Oi.”

However, Robbie’s bravura performance divided ABC viewers after the pop superstar took the opportunity to promote his new documentary, Better Man, which landed in a shameless plug mid-set.

Robbie’s stellar performance was further marred by an awkward exchange with an audience member during the song Land of 1000 Dances

Robbie apparently invited the audience to sing along, but was apparently less than impressed with a reveler’s rhythmic prowess

It was before Robbie’s performance of his 2000 hit Better Man that he gave a rave review of his own film of the same name.

‘Some critics are calling it the film of the century! Not my words, just because I just made that up,” he told the crowd.

Robbie then asked if anyone had seen the film yet and explained that it was shot in Australia.

He even changed some of the lyrics to Better Man, singing, “So go watch my movie, it’s full of drugs and sex, I got my own biopic, I’m not even dead.”

The move divided viewers, with many chafing at the fact that ABC – a publicly funded, taxpayer-funded television station – spent a pretty penny on Williams’ performance.

‘Did I pay my tax money for this lazy Robbie Williams set? What the f**k. Also PR for a film during a set?!’ wrote one person on X.

“Robbie Williams is busy posing and promoting himself, how about singing a song,” another added alongside a thumbs down emoji.

“Your tax dollars hard at work with this Robbie Williams performance,” another posted.

“You let me come in at the wrong place,” Robbie said. ‘Can you stop doing the lyrics of the song, then I don’t misunderstand it’

“Robbie Williams on @ABCTV is a new low for this country. Our tax dollars went down the fucking drain watching this washed up clown,” said another.

“And we see Robbie Williams ringing in the new year wearing white trousers for his new film and now covering John Farnham’s You’re The Voice and introducing it as an anthem,” another agreed.

‘We only get 25-30 minutes from Robbie Williams. How much and who pays??’ said someone else.

Others praised the megastar’s stellar performance and didn’t mind the plug.

“Imagine being so down on New Year’s Eve that you get offended when Robbie Williams plugs his movie shot and directed by Australians,” wrote one.

“Robbie Williams saved the ABC,” said another, while someone else posted: “Robbie Williams saves our big event again.”